IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 510 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the National 

Institutes of Health should develop a pilot program to improve medical 

trial participation, retention, efficiency, effectiveness, and diversity. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 11, 2014 

Mr. KINGSTON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the National Institutes of Health should develop a pilot 

program to improve medical trial participation, retention, 

efficiency, effectiveness, and diversity. 

Whereas clinical trials are essential for improving our Nation’s health; 

Whereas economically disadvantaged individuals, the elderly, 

females, and ethnic and racial minority groups, especially 

African-Americans, Hispanic or Latino Americans, Native Americans or Native Alaskans, Asian or Pacific Islanders, are underrepresented in clinical trials, thereby 

threatening the applicability of trial results for the general population; 


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•HRES 510 IH 

Whereas minority groups account for more than 30 percent 

of the United States population, yet collectively represented only 12.3 percent of all publically funded cancer 

trials from 2003 to 2005; 

Whereas a 2012 study supported by the National Cancer Institute found that in patients 65 and older lower income 

predicted lower trial participation, even while being nearly universally covered by the Medicare program; 

Whereas a national survey of cancer patients found that 85 

percent of respondents were unaware that participating 

in a clinical trial was an option for them; 

Whereas cancer patients with annual incomes of less than 

$20,000 are 44 percent less likely and those with annual 

incomes of less than $50,000 are 30 percent less likely 

to participate in clinical trials than cancer patients with 

higher incomes; 

Whereas in a 2001 survey of African-American physicians, 93 

percent of physicians cited lack of patient awareness as 

a possible factor contributing to low rates of AfricanAmerican trial participants and 92 percent of physicians 

cited mistrust of the medical community; 

Whereas lack of health insurance is a major concern for potential trial participants, with only 5.4 percent of all National Cancer Institute sponsored cancer treatment trial 

participants being patients who choose to participate despite not having health insurance; 

Whereas a 2007 to 2011 study found that 53 percent of patients earning less than $20,000 were concerned about 

how to pay for a trial, compared to 25 percent of patients 

that earned more than $100,000; 


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•HRES 510 IH 

Whereas the National Institute of Health Revitalization Act 

of 1993 requires applicants for Federal research funding 

to provide a strategy for inclusion of women and people 

of diverse racial and ethnic origins into clinical trials, but 

21 percent of studies having received Federal research 

funding since then have failed to report sample sizes by 

racial or ethnic group; 64 percent did not provide any 

analysis by racial or ethnic group; and 75 percent did not 

report any outcomes by sex; and 

Whereas increasing participation rates of underrepresented 

demographic groups in clinical trials would give physicians and researchers greater confidence that the results 

of those trials would apply as broadly as possible to all 

patients in the population: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the National Institutes of Health is encour4 aged to use its existing budget and authority to es5 tablish a pilot partnership with nonprofit organiza6 tions that hold prior experience and expertise in di7 verse community outreach and trial accrual in order 

8 to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical 

9 trials of the National Institutes of Health, increase 

10 patient enrollment and retention in such trials, and 

11 address the lack of diversity in such trials; and 

12 (2) the goals of the pilot partnership should in13 clude, but should not be limited to, providing clinical 

14 trial navigation services to help patients find, enroll, 


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1 and manage the logistical issues related to enroll2 ment and retention in federally supported clinical 

3 trials, and to improve participation by populations 

4 such as underrepresented and uninsured individuals 

5 in appropriate clinical trials. 

Æ 


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